Mars is the fourth planet and the farthest planet from the Sun.
Mars' red appearance is caused by fine-grained iron oxide dust on the ground, giving it the
nickname "the red planet."
Some important facts about the planet Mars: Average distance from the sun: 142 million
miles.
Average speed in solar orbit: 14.5 miles per second.
Diameter of Mars :4,220 miles.
Length of the year on Mars: 687 Earth days.
Temperature: Average -81 degrees F. Gravity on the Red Planet is 0.375 that of
Earth, which means that a 180-pound person on Earth would weight 68 pounds on Mars.
Mars' atmosphere is significantly thinner than that of Earth.
The atmosphere of Mars is more than 95% carbon dioxide and fewer than 1% oxygen.
On Mars, people couldn't breath the air.